Button-attaching machine



12 Sheets-Sheet 1.

(No Model.)

0. RADOLIFP-B. BUTTON ATTAOHING MAOHINB.

No. 486,896. Patented Nov. 29, 1892.

(No Model.) 12 Sheets-Sheet 2.

O. RADGLIPPE. BUTTON A'TTAOHING MACHINE.

No. 486,896. Patented Nov. 29, 1892.

INVENTOR ,9 (Eva/2722s @ovdolifie,

WM ATTY.

(No Model.) 12 Sheets--Sheet 3.

O. RADOLIPFE, BUTTON ATTAGHING MACHINE.

No". 486,896. Patented Nov. 29, 1892.

l y i I F WITNESSES:

2* 0720077188 filmololiife, 9 am W BY W, ATTY.

1 VENTORI (No Model.) 12 Sheets-Sheet 4.

0. RADOLIPPE.

BUTTON ATT'AGHING MAGHINE.

No. 486,896. Patented Nov. 29, 1892.

WITNESSES: INVENTOR:

V OMQflc-rs fiadclpffe A'TTYL (No Model.) v 12 Sheets-Sheet v5.

0. RADOLIFPE. BUTTON ATTAGHING MAGHINE.

Patented Novpzg, 1892.;.

WITN ESSES:

INVENTOR:

ammes fladobiffe ATTY.

(No Model.) 12 Sheets-Sheet 7.

C. RADOLIP'FH,

BUTTON ATTAGHING' MACHINE. I

Patented, Nov. 2-9, 1892.

SY 'ATTIY.

(No Model.) 12 Sheets-Sheet 8.

C RADCLIFPE BUTTON ATTAGHING MACHINE.

No. 486,896. Patented Nov. 29, 1892;

WITNESSES: QMM

(No Model.) 12 Sheets -Sheet 10.

O'IRADGLIFPE.

BUTTON. ATTAOHING MACHINE.

No. 486,896.. Patented Nov. 29, 1892.

WITNESSES: IN'VENTOR:

m fw f Lavfi ATTY. 1

m: nunms PETER! cu. motouma. wnsnmm'on, n. c.

'12 sheets-sheet 12.'

O. RADGLIFPE. BUTTON ATTAUEING MACHINE;

(No Model.)

Noi 486,896. Patented Nov. 29,1892.

INVENTOR':

dhavg'les mums, BY ATT'Y.

WITNESSES:

UNITED STATES eat-E9 PATENT BUTTON-ATTAC HING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 486,896, dated November 29, 1892.

Application filed June 29, 1892- Serial No. 438,409. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, CHARLES RADCLIFFE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Newark, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful ImprovementsinButton-AttachingMachines; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

- In an application for Letters Patent of th United States filed by myself January 13, 1892, Serial No. 417,928, is illustrated a button-attaching machine, of which the machine illustrated in the drawings accompanying this specification and described in the present specification, which forms the subject of my present invention, is an improvement.

That portion of the machine to which this invention particularly relates is the mechanism for automatically feeding the back-plates of the form of button illustrated, more especially in my Patent No. 474,969, patented May 17, 1892, beneath the cloth and automatically forcing the post on the back-plate through the material, and also by means of a step-by-step mechanism feeding a buttonshell directly above the point of the post, forcing the latter through a rectangular slot or opening in the hub of the shell, bending the arms or side projections on said post across said rectangular opening, and thereby forming a complete button firmly attached to the material.

In my previous application, Serial No. 417,928, some of these operations had to be performed by hand;. but in my present form of machine all of the operations follow in consecutive order, and are all performed antomatically by the operations of the several mechanisms comprised in the machine.

The main object of my present invention therefore is to provide a machine for automatically uniting the ready-made back por tions with the front portions, insert the one through the cloth, firmly attaching the several parts of the button, and thereby producing a finished button.

WVith this object in view the invention therefore consists of certain arrangements and combinations of parts, such as will be hereinafter more fully described and finally embodied in the clauses of the claims, and comprising therein, principally, the following mechanical devices: two pockets or receivers arranged upon a standard, a step-by-step mechanism in each pocket for feeding the back-plates in the one pocket into a certain chute or raceway and feeding the shells in the other pocket into a second chute or raceway, a slide or back-plate guide upon which the back-plates are fed, provided with a sliding fork for rotating the post n the backplate into its proper position upon a springactuated holding-plate or support at the free end of the guide, and means for operating said sliding fork, a pivotally-supported device adapted to rotate intermittently and provided with punches for forcing the end of the post on the back-plate through the cloth, and also provided with shell-holding chucks, a hunting device for automatically rotating the shell, whereby the shell may be picked up by one of the chucks, and when a chuck has been rotated above the post on the back-plate the shell held in the jaws of the chuck presents the rectangular opening in its hub properly to the post, means for producing a short turn or revolution of a spindle in the chuck on the supporting device, Whereby the oppositely-extending arms on the post of the back-plate are bent at right angles across the opening in the hub of the shell, mechanism for causing an up-and-down movement of said punch and chuck holding device while it rotates intermittently onits verticalsupport, and, finally, the several forms of mechanism foroperating the above-mentioned mechanical devices, and thereby producing a compact and automatically-operatingbuttonattaching machine.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying sheets of drawings, in which Figure 1 is afront view of the machine embodying my present invention, and Figs. 2 and 3 are the two side views of the machine, the operating parts in each of these views occupying their normal inoperative positions, which they assume when the machine is ready for delivering the several parts of the button down into and through the respective chutes or raoeways to their proper places in the machine, where said parts are secured together upon the material; and Fig. 4 is a plan or top view of the machine. Fig. 5 is a top or plan View of the back-plate feedingguide, the punch and shell holding chucksupporting device, and the several mechanisms for operating these parts, certain parts of the machine-such as the standard to which the two pockets or receivers are secured, the chutes, and the devices for operating the step-by-step feeding mechanisms in the two pockets or receiversbeing illustrated in horizontal section. Fig. 6 is an enlarged vertical section of the punch and shellchuck supporting device, clearly illustrating the arrangement and construction of the shell-holding chucks, and a hunter for rotating or hunting the shell into its proper position before being picked up by the chuck. said view also illustrating the positions and arrangements of the shell-feeding chute and the back-plate feeding-chute. Figs. 7, 8, and 9 are plan views of the back-plate guide provided with a sliding fork and the punch and chuck supporting device in their respective operating positions during the several operations of the machine, said views also clearly illustrating the mechanism for pushing the sliding fork forward and causing the return thereof to its normal starting-point. Figs. 10 and 11 are enlarged detail views of the backplate guide and its sliding fork, to clearly illustrate the manner of forcing and rotating the flat post on the back-plate into its proper position upon a spring-actuated holding plate or support at the free end of the guide, and Fig. 12 is a vertical section across said end of the guide, taken centrally through said holding plate or supportto more clearly show the action of the spring-actuated post therein against the lower side of the back-plate, which is consequently pressed against the inner sides of the overlapping guide portions of the back-plate guide, and thereby held in place. Fig. 13 is a side view of the mechanism for causing the step-bystep movement of the forked slide in the back-plate guide, the parts being illustrated in their normal positions; and Fig. 14 is a vertical section of these parts after they have been operated, said section being taken on line 14 14 in Fig. 9, both of said views illustrating the relative positions of the punch and chuck supporting device. Fig. 15 isafront view of the punch and shellchuck supporting device, and Fig. 16 is a side view of said device. Fig. 17 is a horizontal section taken on line 17 17 in said Fig. 15, illustrating a device provided with a springactuated pawl or dog adapted to slip over the surface of a toothed or notched sleeve during the downward movement of said punch and shell-chuck supporting device; and Fig. 18 is alike View of said device in operative engagement with said toothed or notched sleeve, whereby on the return and upward movement of said punch and chuck supporting device the latter is caused to rotate one-quarter of a turn. Fig. 19 is an enlarged detail view of the hunter and its operating mechanism for rotating a shell-hunting spindle and producing an up-and-down movement thereof. Fig. 20 is a horizontal section taken on line 20 20 in Fig. 19, and Fig. 21 is a top view of a pulley and a follower adapted to move over a cam-shaped collar or eccentric-hub to cause an up-and-down movement of the huntingspindle. Figs. 22 and 23 are detail views of a tripping mechanism in its normal and its operative positions, respectively, for causing a slotted spindle in the shell-holding chuck provided with a handle or crank to make one quarter turn or rotation when the shell ofthe button is forced over the post on the back-plate, and thereby bend the prongs or arms on said post across the rectangular opening in the hub of the shell to secure the parts of the button together upon the cloth. Fig. 2% is a vertical section of the punch and chuck supporting device, taken on line 24 21 in Fig. 5. looking in the direction of arrow :1: in said figure. Figs. 25 and 26 are detail views of thelower end of the back-plate chute or raceway and a pivoted stop-piece in its normal and its raised positions, respectively, to retain the back-platewithin the raceway or to permit one back-plate to be deposited upon the back-plate guide at the proper time. Fig. 27 is a perspective view of the sliding fork for rotating and pushing the deposited back-plate forward within the back-plate guide. Figs. 28 and 29 are detail views of the lower end of the shell-conveyeror raceway and a pivoted stop-piece used in connection therewith to retain the conveyed shell within the raceway or to permit the lowest shell to drop upon the hunter. Fig. 30 is an enlarged vertical section of the button-shell. Fig. 31 is atop view of the same, and Fig. 32 is an enlarged front View of the back-plate and its post employed to make the button to be secured upon the cloth by means of the hereindescribed machine.

In said above-described views similar letters of reference are employed to indicate corresponding parts.

In the above-described drawings, A designates any suitable stand or table provided with the mechanisms for feeding the backplates, one at a time, to the slide and forcing the head of the post through the material, and provided, also, with mechanism for feeding the shells, one at a time, directly above the head of the post, placing a shell directly upon the post to cause its head and the oppositelyprojecting holding-prongs thereon to enter a rectangular opening in the shell, and means for twisting and turning said prongs on the post at right angles or approximately so across said opening in the hub of the shell.

A is astandard secured in any convenient manner upon said table or support. On the opposite sides of the upper end of said standard A are secured by means of screws orbolts a, as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. at, or in any other well-known manner, the half-sections a and 0?, respectively, which, with the half-sections a and a and the toothed rings b and 1) form two pockets or receivers A and A Said half-sections a and a are provided withdownwardly-projectinglugscfiandthetwo sections are secured together by means of bolts (1 thereby forming the pocket or receiver A The half-sections a and a are provided with similarly-arranged lugs or cars a and are secured together by means of bolts a thereby forming the pocket or receiver A The semicircular flanges a and or of the half-sections a and 01. respectively, forming the pocket or receiver A are provided with grooves 61, and a, respectively, and between the said grooves is fitted a ring I), having annular projections 12 on its opposite sides, which fit loosely into said grooves a and a, whereby said ring can be made to rotate between said half-sections a, and a as will be clearly evident from Fig. 4. The half-sections a and a are each provided with similarly-arranged flanges a, and a, respectively, provided on their inner surfaces with the grooves 0 and c0 respectively, and between said half-sections a and a is arranged the ring I), having on its opposite sides the annular projections b extending into said grooves a and a, whereby said ring b is free to move between said half-sections a and a forming the pocket A To one of said half-sections, as a, is secured in any convenient manner a bearing 0, in which is arranged a shaft 0', projecting at one end into the back-plate-receiving pocket A and provided with a hub or collar from which extend the brushes for sweeping the backplates into the small holding-pockets b suitably placed and secured on the inner rim of the ring 17. The other end of said shaft 0' is provided with a wheel 0 which is loosely arranged in a semicircular cut-away portion a in the half-section 0. as will be clearly seen from Figs. 2 and 4. Upon said shaft 0, extending from said brush-holding collar and extending through the stationary bearing 0 is a sleeve 0 to which is secured a boss 0 provided with several arms 0, connected by means of a rim 0', having in its outer periphery a groove 0 which terminates directly in front of a shell-conveying chute a". Adjacent to said boss 0 I may arrange a collar provided with brushes for sweeping the shells of the buttons into circular recesses b from which the shells are fed up into the groove 0 in the stationary rim 0 tobe fed into the said chute or raceway a", as will be understood from Figs. 1, 2, and 4/ The ring I) is provided in its outer periphery with equally-spaced teeth I)", and in order to give said ring a step-by-step movement a hollow or tubular standard D is secured to the table A, as shown.

The standards or frames A and A of the table are connected by means of a rod cl, upon which is secured a treadle d, provided at the rear with an arm, and a weight (1 and pivotally attached to said treadle is a'rod d se- I cured to the end of a rod or post (1 which extends up through the table A and into the standard D, as will be evident from Figs. 1 and 2. The upper end of the standard D is provided with ears (1 between which is pivoted upon a pin a jaw or dog d adapted to be forced against the teeth I) on the ring I) by means of a spring d in normal engagement with the back of the dog d, as will be clearly seen from Fig. 2. In the upper end of the said standard D is a slot or opening 01 into which projects the end of a pin d on the rod (1 whereby the latter is capable of an up-anddown movement, but cannot rotate within said standard D. When the operator presses upon the treadle d, the jaw d slides down over the nexttooth b in the periphery of the wheel b, and when the foot is removed from the treadle the weight 01 causes the treadle to assume its normal position, (illustrated in Fig. 2,) while at the same time the jaw or dog 01 pushes against the tooth b and causes the ring b to partially rotate and drop a shell into the conveyer or raceway a The mechanism for producing the step-bystep movement of the ring 1) between the half-sections a and a is similar tothatjust described in connection with the ring I). Said ring I) is provided with the desired number of teeth 12 having the inclined portions 19 and the straight portions b Arranged upon the table or support A is a tubular standard E, and pivotally secured to the treadle d on the opposite side to which the rod cl is secured is a rod or lever e, which is pivotally connected with the lower end of the rod c. This rod extends up through the table A and through the hollow standard E and projects therefrom at the top. Said end is provided with ears e between which is the pivoted jaw or dog a Said dog or jaw is normally forced against the teeth b on the ring I) by means of a spring, and when working the treadle d to operate the ring 6 in the pocket or receiver A the jaw or dog 6 on the rod 6' operates the ring I)? to force the back-plates into the chute or raceway a These parts assume their normal inoperative positions as soon as the operator removes his foot from the weighted treadle. Thus it will be seen that both rings b and b are operated byone movement of the treadle, whereas in my previous improvement on a button-attaching machine, Serial No. 417,928, I employed two separate treadles for operating the rings b and b at different times.

As will be seen from Figs. 1, 2, and 3,l have secured upon the table A, by means of a footpiece a the peculiarly twisted shell conveyer or chute a ,l1ereinabove mentioned, and in close proximity to the free end of the rim c and especially the shell-conveying groove 0 supported by the arms 0 on the stationary sleeve on the shaft 0'. The lower end of said chute terminates directly to one side of a shellhunting device F, as clearly illustrated in IIO Figs. 1, 2, and 6, and the operation of which will be more fully described hereinafter.

pockets b on theinner periphery of the ring I),

while the lower end of the chute or raceway terminates at one side of a grooved backplate guide G, having a sliding fork g for hunting and forcing the deposited back-plate in the groove in said guide G to a spring-actuated holding plate or support g at the forward end of said guide, as will be seen from Figs. 1, 5, 7, 8, and 9, and the operation of which will be described more in detail hereinafter. As Will be seen from Fig. 2, the standard D is provided with an opening (i through which projects the pin d which is secured in the'rod d Said pin d is connected with the wheels 0 by means of a link 0 whereby when the treadle d is depressed and the rods dj and 6' move upward to operate the rings 1) and b the shaft 0' receives an oscillatory movement, and hence the brushes in the pockets or receivers A and A move back and forward as the operator Works or releases the treadle to force the back-plates into the pockets b and the shells into the recesses 17.

I will now describe the manner and operation of feeding the back-plates provided with the upright posts from the pocket or receiver A through the chute or raceway a to the back-plate-conveying guide G and the operation of the forked slide 9 therein to properly rotatethe deposited back-plate and to force said back-plate forward upon the spring-actuated holding-plate or support 9. As has been previously stated, the toothed ring 1) between the half-sections a and a and rotating therebetween is provided with a series of back-plate holding or carrier pockets b which are of the same or a similar construction as the pockets described and illustrated in connection with my improved form of button-attaching machine, for which I have applied for a patent thereon, Serial No. 417,928. The back-' plates of the button are thrown into the pocket or receiver A and by operating the treadle dthe ring I) is caused to move between the half-sections a and (1 whereby the brushes 0 cause each pocket b to pick up one of the back-plates, bringing the same directly above the upper and open end of the chute or raceway at and discharging the back-plate upon this end ofthe chute with the post on the back-plate projecting downward. Said chute or raceway, however, is provided with a twist 0. as will be seen from Fig. 1, whereby when the back-plate passes down the chute its position therein becomes reversed and the backplate'is deposited upon the upper surface of the back-plate-conveying guide G, with its post in a'vertical or upright position ready to be hunted or rotated and pushed forward upon the spring-actuated holding plate or support ready to be forced through the material or cloth. Said conveying-guide G, as will be seen from Figs. 5, 9, 10, 11, 13, and 14, consists, essentially, of a base-plate 9 on the upper surface of which are secured by means of screws g or in any other well-known manner two circular plates 9 in such a manner to form an open space into which the backplate slides from the chute upon the upper surface of said base-plate 9 Between said plates 9 is arranged and moves loosely therein the sliding fork g, provided at its forward end with the prongs or fingers g and 9 forming a V and terminating in a narrow open space 9 into which the flat post on the back-plate is finally forced as it comes in sliding contact with either side of the two prongs or fingers g and g, as will be clearly evident from Figs. 10 and 11, and the back-plate is thereby properly guided and placed in its true position upon the spring-actuated holding plate or support 9. Said plate or support g is preferably concave in the top to more properly retain the back-plate, and moves slightly up. and down in an opening in the forward end of the base-plateg? Said support is post-shaped, as will be seen from Fig. 12, and is of larger diameter at the bottom to form an ofiset 9 which abuts against an offset 9* in the opening in said base-plate and thereby limits its upward movement. A coil-spring 9 is arranged beneath said post g, as shown,- and the forwardly-forced back-plate, after it has been placed in the concave surface in the top of said post, is sufficiently held therein by being projected up against the inner surfaces of the two plates 9 and is held in this position until the button has been completed and has been firmly attached to the cloth, when it can then be slipped from the end of the conveying-guide G, as will be evident.

The mechanism for causing the forward and return movements of the sliding fork 9 consists of a cross-head h, moving in suitable guides I-I, secured to the table A. At one end of said cross-head is pivoted a link 72/, which is also pivotally connected at its other end with the rear end of said sliding fork g. Directly back of said guides 11, secured on the table, is a suitable plate I, having an upwardly-extending arm or post 1', in which is pivoted the cross-head operating mechanism. As will be seen from Figs. 3, 5, 7, 8, 9, and 13, in said post or arm 1' I have arranged apin 2", which can be operated by means of a crank arm 2' connected by means of a suitable system of levers with the treadle d. These 1evers consist, essentially, of a crank 'j, pivotally secured on a support or bracket j,secured to and projecting down from the bottom of the table A, and connecting said crankarm 4? and the crankj is a linkj while a rod 7' connects the crank j with the treadle (1'. Thus when the treadle is pressed down by the operator the crank-arm 1? moves upa ward, carrying with it a spring-actuated pawl or dog 2 which is thereby forced into engage- IIC ment by the action of its spring 2' with the next uppermost of the four notches i on a sleeve or collar 2' on said pin 2', the crankarm 7, having reached that position indicated in dotted outline in Fig. 13, a spring i ,which engages with one of the notches i, being employed to prevent the turning of said collar on the pine" in the opposite direction. As soon as the treadle d is caused to return to its normal inoperative position said arm 1? returns to its first position, as indicated in said Fig. 13, the pawl or dog i causing said collar to turn backward on the pin 1'', whereby it operates a second collar is on the same pin, having two peculiarly-shaped cams k and 70 as will be seen more'especially from Fig. 14L. During the rotation of said collars 2' aud'lc the cam-surface k of either one of said cams forked end directly in front of the end of the chute or raceway a At this point the pin k on the lever k rests within a depression i whereby the forwardly-sliding movement of the sliding forkg is fora moment interrupted, while a back-plate is being deposited in front of its forked end; butimmediately the curved surface of the cam-surface again begins to move the arm or lever 15 to that position indicated in Fig. 14, at the same time causing the sliding fork g to move forward in the guide G to the position illustrated in Fig. 9, thereby depositing the hunted back plate upon the holding plate or support g. As

soon as the cam has passed the pin- 70 a long.

coiled spring k secured at one end to a post on the cross-head and atits other end to a spring-arm i, as shown in Fig. 13, and owing to the straight surface 10 on the cams said spring 10 causes a very quick return of the sliding fork from the forward end of the back-plate guide G, leaving the back-plate in its proper position upon the holding plate or support g, and the punch on the punch andchuck-supporting device comes down to force the post through the cloth. While the sliding fork g and its operating mechanism connected therewith return to their-normal starting positions, a second back-plate drops down upon the surface of the guide G between the two plates 9 ready to be hunted or turned into the proper position and to be pushed forward by the sliding fork in the manner just described.

As will be seen from Figs. 10 and 11, the back-plate guide G, consisting of the baseplate 9 and the side pieces 9 is properly curved, thereby producing a circular groove or way in which the properly adjusted or hunted back-plate is brought in its proper position beneath the punches and chucks of the machine.

I will now describe the construction and operation of the punchand chuck supporting device. Figs. 6, 15, 16, 19, and 24. The device consists of the following parts: In the table or bedAof the machine is arrangedin aholethe punch and chuck supporting device L, consisting of a tubular post Z, having a flange by means of which it is secured to the table and provided with an upwardly-extending pipeshaped endl. Looselyarranged in said tubular post is a vertical shaft or spindle Z provided at its upper end with a supporting device carrying on its under side, as in-the pres-' ent machine, two oppositely-located punches m and two intermediately-arranged and oppositely-placed shell-distributing chucks n.

The lower end of said vertical shaft Z is provided in the bottom with a'set-screw Z and a washer Z and on the bolt head of said screw is arranged a yoke Z to the lower end of' which is pivotally attached a rod Z connected with the treadle d, as will be clearly seen from Fig. 1. It will thus be seen that the shaft Z and hence the supporting device at the top thereof can be made to move up and down, thereby bringing either a punch down upon the cloth to force the post on the backplate through the material or bringing a chuck and its shell down uponthe post, as will be described hereinafter. Said supporting device consists, essentially, of four oppositelyprojecting arms Z and Z as shown in Figs. 7

, and 8.

The punches m, as will be seen more especially from Fig. 24:, are inserted in holes or perforations inthe arms Z each punch being provided with an enlargement m, which fits tightly against the under surface of the arm 1 and they are securely held in said arms by means of set-screws, bolts, or in any other well-known manner. The upper ends m of.

said punches are slightlysmaller in diameter and project above said arms Z as shown, while the lower ends have a slotted or cut-away portion m which when the vertical shaft or spindle Z and its arms Z and Z are lowered, as just stated, come down upon the cloth over the point of the previously-placed back-plate, the head or upper portion of the post on the backplate thereby being forced through the material and passing into the slotted end m of the punch, as will be readily understood. As will be seen from Figs. 15, 16, and 24, on the lower portion of said vertical shaft or spindle Z I have arranged the three rings or collars 0, o, and 0 and above the upper ringo is a ring p, of soft materialsuch as feltto lessen the shock and to deaden the noise when these parts come together on the return st roke of the shaft or spindle Z afterthe operator has removed his foot from the treadle d. As soon as the arms Z and] have returned to their normal position the next step in the operation is to rotate them one-quarter of a turn This device is clearly illustrated in IIO to bring one of the shell-holding chucks n to its position above the post on the back-plate in order that the shell can be secured on the post now forced through the cloth. In order to do this, the ring has formed thereon an arm 0 provided with lugs or ears 0, which are capableof rotation in a perforation in the free end of said arm 0 Between said lugs orears 0 is pivotally arranged the end of a connecting-lever 0 which is connected at its opposite end with a crank-arm j, connected with the armj and operated by the rodj when the treadle d is depressed. Thus when by means of these devices the arm 0 is rotated in a horizontal plane from its position indi cated in Fig. 17 to thatshown in Fig. 18 a spring-actuated pawl or dog 0 passes from one of the four notches 0 in the ring 0 to the next notch, (see Fig. 18,) and upon the return of the vertical shaft Z and its connected parts to the position illustrated in Fig. '16 said pawl or dog 0 provided with a hook end 0 causes a quarter-turn of the said shaft Z and hence .be understood from said Fig. 16.

brings one of the shell-chucks to the position previously occupied by the punch m, as will This device is again operated by means of the treadle d, the shell placed upon the post of the backplate, and upon the return of the several parts when the treadle is released the next punch is'rotated into its position ready to force the post on another back-plate through the cloth. Thus a punch and then a shell-chuck follow ,in consecutive order. 7 During the operation of the punching-rod m, While the shaft or spindle 1* moves downward, one of the shellreceiving chucks is also passed or forced down upon the shell-hunter F, onto which a A spindle n provided with suitable guideplates n and a slotted end M, the purpose of which will be more fully described hereinafter, is rotatively arranged in each chuck n. The upper'end of each spindle n projects through and abot e the upper surface of the arm Z being provided with a hub n, from which extends an upwardly-projecting handle or finger "n for rotating the spindle n by means of a trippingdevice, (illustratedin Figs.22 and 23,) for the purpose to be described hereinafter.

I will now describe the manner of feeding the shells of the button down into the chute or raceway a and upon the hunter F. The receiving-pocket A and the shell-conveying ring I), rotating between the half-sections a and a are of the same construction as the shell pocket and ring described and claimed in my previous application, Serial No. 417,928, and I will therefore not describe them further here. As soon as the shells of the buttons drop into the chute a they are fed down against a stop-piece q, pivoted upon the lower end of the chute, which stop-piece normally stands in the position illustrated more especially in Fig. 6, and hasa stop-point which extends down into a slot or opening (L in tl;e chute a When the shaft or vertical spindle Z and its arms Z and Z have been lowered to force the punch down over the post on the back-plate, and thereby insert the same through the cloth, and when the shell-chuck has picked up the previously-deposited shell from the hunter F and the several parts now begin to start their quarter-rotation, a small pin Z oneon the end of each arm 1 comes in contact with the stop-piece g, thereby lifting its stop-point out of the slot a in the chute a and allowing another shell to drop down upon the hunter F to be rotated or hunted. At the same time the pin Z on the opposite arm Z engages with a similarly-plvoted stop-piece g on the chute or raceway a having a slot e therein, and lifts the stoppoint out of said slot to permit a new backplate to pass down upon the guide G in front of the sliding fork g. The arrangement and construction of the stop-pieces q-and q will be clearly understood from Figs. 25, 26, 28, and 29.

The construction and operation of the hunter F are as follows: Said hunter, as will be seen from Figs. 1, 6, and 19, consists of a tubular post f, provided with a flange f for arranging the same in a hole or opening in the table A. Upon the upper end of a hunting-spindle f arranged in said tubular post f, is a shell-receiver f provided in the top thereof with a socketed portion f for the re-.

ception of the shell sliding from the'end of the chute a Said receiver f is arranged upon the upper end of said post or spindle f in such a manner that when the spring-actuated sides n of one of the shell-chucks n are brought firmly down against said shell-holder or receiverf the latter will move downwardly on its tubular post fv and the spindlef will force the hunted shell into the shell-chuck, as will be clearly understood from said Fig. 6. To permit the downward movement of said shell-holder or receiver f on the postf, said post is slotted in one side, as atf and a guidingscrew or pin f in the holder f projects into said slot f A coiled spring f which becomes slightly depressed when the holder f is forced downward, causes said holder to return to its normal position as soon as the chuck it leaves the top of said holder with a button-shell between its spring-actuated sides at. Before the button-shell can be forced into the jaws n of the holding-chuck n it must be first hunted that is, its rectangular opening or slot in the hub must be rotated or turned in such a manner in order that when the chuck, with its shell, has been rotated above and brought down upon the previously-arranged back-plate in the backplate guide G its opening in the hub will come directly above the flat post on said back-plate and allow the pointed ends or projections on the post to enter said opening and pass into lIO the hub of the shell. The spindle f is employed for hunting or rotating the shell in its holder f so as to bring the slot or opening 1n sa1d shell in its proper position to be received by the chuck. In order to rotate and at the same time to cause an up-and-dowu movement of the spindle f I have secured on the lower end portion of said spindle two pulleys f and f which are firmly secured to sa1d spindle by means of set-screws. To said pulley) is firmly attached the end of a cord or rope T, which is secured at its other end to the crank-arm 9' as shown in Fig. 2. To the pulley f I have attached a cord or rope r, which passes over a second pulley r arranged in a bearing secured on the bottom of the table A, and has a weight r on its end. The cords 1' and 'r, as will be seen from said Fig. 2, are wound in opposite directions around the pulleys f and f During the operation of the treadle d the cord or rope r becomes slack and the weighted rope r acts on its pulley f which causes the rotation of the spindle f within its tubular post f. In order to cause the up-and-down movement of said spindle within its tubular post f, I have secured at or near the lower end of said postfa cam-hub f and upon the.

pulley f I have arranged a post f, having on its upper end a lip, which projects above said hub f and the end f of which rides upon the cam-surface of the hub when the spindle f is rotated by the action of the weighted cord or rope r on the pulleyf", thereby causing said spindle to receive a rotating and at the same time an up-and-down movement, as will be evident. Said spindle f is provided at its upper end with aflat end piece or portion f, as will be seen from Fig. 6, and more especially from Fig. 19.

No matter inwhat position the opening in the hub of the shell has been placed in the.

socketed portion f of the shell-holderf as soon as the rotating spindle moves upward this fiat end piece f in rotating finally finds its way into the rectangular slot or opening in the hub of the shell, which is thereby compelled to rotate with spindle until the flatend piece withdraws from its hunting engagement with said slot in the hub, when the spindle once more moves downward, thereby leaving the hunted shell in its proper position to be picked up by one of the chucks n, and finally to be carried to its place above the end of the guide G to be finally fastened and connected with the post on the back-plate.

In Figs. 22 and 23 I have illustrated a tripping device, which during the operation of the treadle and intermediatelyarranged mechanism is forced in engagement with the upwardly-extending post or finger n on the spindle or post a in the chuck it as soon as the shell therein has been placed on the post on the back-plate on the end of the guide G. Said mechanism consists, essentially, of a sliding arm S, adapted to reciprocate in guides s and 8, arranged on a plate 5 which is securved end .9 of said arm and a flat s rin b 5 secured to said arm, exerts a pressure upon the upper end of said finger .9 As will be seen from Fig. 3, when the treadle d is pushed down a lover or rod t is caused to exert. a pull upon a crank-arm t, pivoted in a bearing 25 on said standard A, thereby causing the arm 25*, provided with a springactuated finger #in its end, to force the sliding arm S forward to the position indicated in Fig. 23, the finger 8 being easily forced over the end of the rod n While the chuck n is placing its button-shell over the post on lower surface S of the arm S, and the said sliding arm is returned to its starting position with great rapidity by a weight to, attached to a rope to, passing over a pulley n and connected with a yoke u pivotally attached in the bearings s on said sliding arm S, as will be seen more especially from Fig. 5. Thus it will be clearly evident that on the return-stroke of the slide or arm S the finger s is suddenly forced into operative contact with the endof the post n and as said finger cannot now slide over said'post and as said post is arranged on the pivot n (see Fig. 6) the spindle n will be suddenly rotated and its slotted end n will securely turn the oppositely-extending projections of the head of the post on the back-plate across the slot or opening in the hub in the shell, as clearly illustrated in Fig. 31, and the several parts IIO which acts as a stop against a packing ring 3 has returned to its starting position (indicated by the dotted lines in Fig. 23) and the treadle d returns to its original starting po sition then the finger t on the arm t freely slides under and against the surface S on the slide S to assume its operative position. (Illustrated in Fig. 22.) As will be seen from Figs. 6 and 24, each chute or raceway a and oi may be provided with an extra back-plate or shell-retaining device '0 and w, respectively. The device a) on the shell-conveying chute 0, consists of a suitable plate '0, pivot-ed by means of pins or screws o to the chute and has pins 01 which normally project through a hole or opening in the front of the chute, as will be evident from said Fig. 24. When the upwardly-projecting post or pin 01, on the punching-spindle m comes in contact with a finger or rod 11 on a rod '0 secured to the de vice o, the plate 1) and its pin 0 move outward, as indicated in dotted outlinein said Fig. 24, and thereby permit a shell to pass piece in.the bottom of the chute.

farther down into the chute or raceway until its further progress is arrested by the stop- In the chute a is also arranged aback-plate retaining device to, which consists, essentially, of a plate provided at the lower end and on the back thereof with one or two pins 10 as shown in Fig. 3, which enter holes in the chute and thereby retain the back-plates in the upper part of the chute. The plate to is operated by an arm 10 with V which the finger or post m on the'punch comes in contact at the proper time, as it is rotated against said arm by the intermittent movement of the punch and chuck supporting device, to allowaback-plate to passdown into the lower portion of the chute or raceway a where its progress is arrested by the stop-piece q in the bottom of the chute. Both of the chutes a and a may be provided with openings or slots a and (L to present the shells and backplates to view and by means of which they can be easily reached with a pointed instrument in case they become jammed within the chute.

By the present form of machine I have devised a simple and operative device in which the back-plates and their posts are fed from one receiving-pocket A and the shells of the buttons are fed from a second receivingpocket'A to the proper position in the machine, the post on the back plate forced through the cloth, and the shell of the button secured to the post, and the finished button .thus firmly secured to the cloth is finally removed from the machine and the operation of attaching and completinganother button can be repeated.

-From the above description it will be seen that the several mechanisms are all operated from one treadle d.

The operations are briefly as follows: A

shell ofthe button is picked up from the hunter by one of the two chucks employed, while a back-plate, already in position, is forced by oneof the punches through the cloth, and on the return of the treadle another back-plate is released from its chute or raceway and held at the lower end thereof ready to be delivered upon the back-plate guide. Thenext operation, by means ofa second pressure upon the treadle, is to fasten the shell upon the post just forced through the cloth. On the return of the treadle to its normal position a second back-plate has been hunted and forced forward and a second shell has been deposited upon the hunter and properly rotated, and, finally, by again depressing the treadle this second back plate is forced through the cloth, while the second shell is being picked up by the other chuck, as will be clearly understood from an inspection of the Thus it will be seen that several drawings.

of the one treadle and the respective and intermediatcly-arranged operating mechanisms.

In order to prevent any undue backward movement of the arms Z and Z 1 have arranged upon the arms Z as will be seen from Figs. 15, 16, and 24, two downwardly-extending pins at, each having a chamfered end 00. which during the forward movement of the arm Z passes over the chamfered end y of a spring-actuated pin or post y in a socket a, as shown more speciallyin said Fig. 24:. This construction allows of the rotation of said punch and chuck supporting device in its forward direction only and prevents all backward movement.

Of course it will be evident that the precise form and arrangements of. parts herein shown are not absolutely essential to my improvements, and they may be varied within the limits of mechanical skill without departing from the scope of my present invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is 1. The combination, in a machine for attaching buttons, of a base or table, a standard on said table, oppositely-arranged pockets or receivers on said standard, chutes or raceways leading from each pocket or receiver, a rotatively-arranged punch and shellchuckcarrying device, the chucks of which are adapted to pick up a button-shell, a backplate guide in connection with the one chute upon which the back-plate of a button is fed, devices for placing the back-plate properly and forcing the same to the forward end of said back-plate guide, and mechanism for causing an up-and-down and a rotative movement of said punch and shell-chuck carrying device, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

2. The combination, in a machine for attaching buttons, of a base or table, a standard on said table, oppositely-arranged pockets or receivers on said standard, chutes or raceways leading from each pocket or re ceiver, a rotatively-arranged punch and shellchuck carrying device, a shell-hunting device upon which the button-shells are fed from the one chute and properly placed in position therein and from which the chucks on said carrying device pick up a hunted shell, a back-plate guide in connection with one chute, upon which the back-plate of a button is fed, devices for placing the back-plate properly and forcing the same to the forward end of said back-plate guide, and means for causing an up-and-down and a rotative movement of said punch and shell-chuck carrying device, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

3. The combination, in a machine for at- 

